UN demands asylum protection for the non-religious

A United Nations report has demanded that asylum systems worldwide must become fit for purpose for non-religious individuals, citing evidence submitted by Humanists UK. The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Dr Nazila Ghanea, is due to present her report to the UN Third Committee this week.

The report focuses on the freedom of religion or belief of ‘people on the move’. It identifies a critical ‘ignorance of the non-religious’ in asylum credibility assessments, which often leads to the wrongful rejection of genuine claims from humanists, atheists and those accused of blasphemy or apostasy.

In a significant recognition of Humanists UK’s work, the report cites its consultation response to the Special Rapporteur. This evidence detailed the specific barriers faced by the non-religious in the asylum system. Further, the report flags Humanists UK’s outreach programme Faith to Faithless as an example of good practice for the practical support it provides to non-religious asylum-seekers in documenting their blasphemy or apostasy for the purpose of their asylum claims.

The neglect of non-religious asylum seekers in the system

The UN report details how ignorance among asylum decision-makers leads to the wrongful rejection of non-religious claims. Officials often fail to understand worldviews that are not organised religions, expecting atheists and humanists to have equivalents of holy books, places of worship, or specific rituals. When claimants cannot point to these religious structures, officials frequently misinterpret this absence as evidence that their beliefs are not genuine or deeply held, putting them at risk of being returned to countries where they face persecution.

This finding directly reflects evidence provided by Humanists UK. The response was prepared by Dr. Lucy Potter, who has worked with Humanists UK to systematically analyse firsthand testimonies of non-religious asylum seekers for her PhD thesis. Her results revealed how decision-makers’ reliance on religious benchmarks consistently undermined the credibility of their claims.

In her report, the special rapporteur urges states to make sure their asylum systems can properly understand and evaluate non-religious identities and the specific forms of persecution faced by those accused of blasphemy or apostasy.

Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson commented:

‘We welcome Naz Ghanea’s report for accurately highlighting the discrimination the non-religious face in the asylum system. We are pleased that we and our programme Faith to Faithless are making a positive contribution to ending this life-threatening bias in the UK.’